[JURIST] The UN Security Council [official website] said late Wednesday that it will consider a proposal by Secretary-General Kofi Annan [official bio] to end recruitment and use of child soldiers in violation of international law, acknowledging a need for a monitoring and reporting mechanism to track such abuses. The current proposal seeks not only to curb the use of child soldiers, but also to end all violations and abuses committed against children affected by armed conflict situations while promoting their reintegration and rehabilitation. It is not clear whether sanctions will be implemented for violators, which was a key request from Olara Otunnu [official bio], the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC) [official website]. Otunnu's report [link on official website] on the situtation cites the lack of security, access, cooperation and an organized and functioning mechanism for monitoring and reporting at the country level as major problems. The UN News Center has more.

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